Brainstorming Ideas

If a prompt has not been provided for you, look for some ideas about a topic for your paper: Topic Ideas

Brainstorm topic ideas. If you have trouble thinking up creative topics to write about, here are some questions you might ask yourself:

* What am I interested in?
* What do I like to do for fun that might translate into an interesting paper topic?
* What do I feel strongly about?
* What do I know a lot about?
* What would I like to know more about?

* What are some issues or topics that are in the news right now that I find interesting and important?
* What are some issues or topics at my school that I find interesting and important?
* Can my friends or family members offer me suggestions for topics that I find interesting and important?

Evaluate each appropriate topic for ease and quality.
How difficult will this topic be to research and write about?
Is the topic too broad?
Is the topic too narrow?
Remember to get help from the teacher to find out if your topic is manageable. You also might need to do some library and computer research to find out how much information is available about your considered topic.

Pick the topic on your list that you find most interesting and important. Remember, it’s much easier to write a paper that you find interesting than one you do not, so take the time to pick out a topic you truly care about. The topic can NOT be something that you already know a great deal about. It defeats the purpose of needing to research to learn more about it.

Get permission from the teacher to make sure that your topic is appropriate and not controversial.